For as long as I can remember, the Secret Garden has lived quietly in the back of my mind—a dreamy, almost mythical place that seemed to exist somewhere between imagination and reality. I never imagined it was a real place, and that one day I would walk through its gate to stand in the very garden that inspired one of my favorite stories.

Hidden away in the Kent countryside, Great Maytham Hall, is the location that inspired one of the most beloved novels ever written—The Secret Garden. Visiting it wasn’t simply another stop on our Literary Gardens of England tour. It felt like walking into the very story that has captivated readers for more than a century.

What makes the experience even more extraordinary is that Great Maytham Hall is not a public attraction. It remains a private residence, and opportunities to visit are incredibly rare. I was fortunate to experience it with Her Literary Society, and it quickly became one of the most memorable places on our journey.

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A House With Three Centuries of History

The story of Great Maytham Hall begins almost 200 years before the novel, The Secret Garden.

The estate was purchased in 1714 by Captain James Monypenny, who built a country house just a few years later. The surrounding walled garden was originally created as a productive kitchen and fruit garden, enclosed by tall brick walls that protected fruit trees, vegetables, and flowers from the English weather.

In 1893, a devastating fire severely damaged the original Georgian house. A few years later, in 1898, Frances Hodgson Burnett rented the partially restored estate while rebuilding her own life after personal heartbreak. She found far more than a house… she found a forgotten garden.

Years later, in 1909, the estate was purchased by H. J. Tennant, who commissioned renowned architect Edwin Lutyens to redesign the house into the magnificent Arts and Crafts home that stands today. Although the house changed dramatically, the spirit of the garden remained.

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The Garden That Became a Story

By the time Burnett arrived, the old walled garden had been neglected for years. Hidden beneath ivy and overgrown vegetation, it had become almost invisible.

When Burnett rented the estate, she fell in love with wandering the grounds. She later wrote that a friendly robin seemed determined to get her attention as she wandered the grounds, eventually leading gardeners to a hidden doorway concealed beneath ivy. Beyond it was the forgotten rose garden that would become the inspiration for The Secret Garden.

Standing within those ancient brick walls, it’s easy to understand how imagination and reality became intertwined.

Burnett herself restored and replanted the garden with hundreds of roses and often wrote there beneath an old, lichen-covered tree. The peaceful sanctuary she helped revive would become the inspiration for the hidden garden discovered by Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden.

It’s incredible to think how real life mirrored the story almost perfectly.

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A Garden Kept for Beauty’s Sake

As beautiful as the history is, one thought stayed with me throughout my visit.

The gardens are still lovingly maintained by dedicated gardeners. Every rose is pruned, every border carefully tended, every path meticulously cared for—not for thousands of daily visitors, but for the handful of people who call Great Maytham Hall home.

There is something incredibly beautiful about that. In a world where so much is created to be photographed, shared, and admired by millions, this garden quietly continues to bloom largely unseen.

Its purpose isn’t to attract crowds. It simply exists because beauty is worth preserving.

Knowing that behind the walls of this private estate, generations of gardeners have continued caring for a place that has inspired readers for more than a century really impressed me. Their work isn’t performed for acclaim. It’s an act of stewardship—protecting a piece of history so that, on the rare occasions its gates are opened, visitors can experience the same sense of wonder that Frances Hodgson Burnett once did.

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A Place I’ll Never Forget

Standing inside the real Secret Garden was one of those moments that changed me forever.

The Secret Garden has been one of my favorite stories for as long as I can remember. I loved it as a child, studied it years later while earning my illustration degree, and it continues to inspire me today. One of my favorite college projects was designing my own illustrated book cover for this timeless classic. And while there have been several film adaptations over the years, the The Secret Garden, 1993 version, remains the definitive version for me. Its beautiful cinematography, unforgettable score, and sense of wonder perfectly captured the magic I had always imagined while reading the book. I honestly don’t think another adaptation could ever replace it.

I’ll be sharing more detailed posts about each stop from my Literary Gardens of England journey, but the real Secret Garden will always be one of the places that stays with me.